Folding door



June 23, 195 9 s. JOHNSON ET Al; 2,891,612

.FOLDJ-ING D003 Filed May 21, 1956- -2 Sheet-Sheet 1' u 1959 s. J. JOHNSON ETAL 2,891,612

- FOLDING DOOR Filed. May 21, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 f 1g INVENTORSV I SAMUEL J. JOHNSON AND CHARLES J. SCHROEDER, DECEASED, BY SARAH SCHROEDER,ADMINISTRATRIX.

A T TOEA/E Y5 United States Patent FOLDING DOOR Samuel J. Johnson, Westchester, Ohio, and Charles J. Schroeder, deceased, late of Cincinnati, Ohio, by Sarah Schroeder, administratrix, Cincinnati, Ohio Application May 21, 1956, Serial No. 586,314

2 Claims. (Cl. 160-84) This invention relates to folding doors of the general type designed for use in place of rigid doors in small apartments or the like to conserve space and to provide an efficient and attractive means for closing any type of room opening. The present invention is a continuation in part of our copending application Serial No. 540,039, filed October 12, 1955, now US. Patent No. 2,746,538.

As manufactured in the past, folding doors have comprised essentially the elements of a flexible curtain, a track on the upper edge of the door jamb, travellers mounted on the upper edge of the curtain and adapted to engage in the track, rigid and continuous stiffening and mounting strips on each side edge of the curtain and some means for permanently securing to one side of the door jamb the closed edge of the curtain and releasably securing to the other side of the jamb the open edge of the curtain. Various types of relatively complicated arrangements have also been provided for forming and maintaining vertical folds in the curtain so that the door can be opened smoothly and evenly without forming unsightly bulges.

A serious problem in conventional folding doors of the type just described has been the difficulty of packaging the assembled structure so that it can be handled readily by the manufacturer, the retailer and the installer. The continuous edge stiffening strips which are essential in maintaining the rigidity of the door when installed have been a factor which has contributed particularly to this packaging difiiculty in that in previous structures it has been impossible to compact an unassembled door into a package shorter than the overall length of the stiffening strips. Another complicating factor has been the difficulty of folding or compacting the pleat forming structures provided in many types of doors.

Due primarily to this packaging difficulty it has been impractical in the past to sell at retail a folding door packaged in a sufficiently small carton or container to enable the purchaser to take home the package, and easily install the door himself. Resultantly, as a general rule, folding doors have been sold primarily by distributors from erected models and have required delivery, and in many cases installation charges all of which greatly increase the total cost to the householder.

The principal object of the present invention has been to provide a folding door which is so designed and constructed that it can readily be compacted into a relatively small carry home carton only slightly longer than onehalf the length of the door curtain and only a few inches wide. This permits the packaged door to be sold in department stores and other retail outlets for installation by the purchaser himself in accordance with simple directions furnished in the package.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the further and more detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the insertion of the compacted door assembly into a carton which is only slightly longer than one-half the height of the door curtain and but 'a few inches wide in each direction.

Figure 2 is a front elevational view of a door assembly representing a preferred embodiment of the invention installed in a door jamb and extended to closed position.

Figure 3 is an enlarged detailed view showing the door handle and portions of the central area of a side edge of the door.

Figure 4 is a sectional view along the line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a sectional view along the line 55 of Figure 3.

Figure 6 is a sectional view along the line 6-6 of Figure 2.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary cross sectional view illustrating a modified form of the invention.

Figure 8 is an exploded view showing a modification of the invention.

Figure 9 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 99 of Figure 8.

Figure 10 is a fragmentary elevational view showing the upper end of one of the members provided to stiffen an edge of the folding door.

Figure 11 is an enlarged, exploded fragmentary View of the handle section only of the door.

Figure 12 is an enlarged fragmentary cross sectional view, taken on a horizontal plane, of the handle section of the door showing the parts assembled.

As shown particularly in Figure 2, the folding door assembly of the invention includes a flexible curtain designated generally as 10. This curtain is preferably formed from a heavy sheet of vinyl plastic or some similar material. As illustrated a plurality of vertically extending pleats 11 of substantially equal width are preformed into the surface of the curtain. These pleats are preferably formed alternately, first on one side of the curtain and then on the other. This prefolding greatly facilitates the later formations of equal width pleats of a generally serpentine configuration as viewed in section. At the upper edge of the curtain, a plurality of pockets 12 are formed by the seams 13, each pocket being delineated at its lower edge by the seam or seal and at its side edges by the curtain edge or by the preformed pleat lines. Disposed in each pocket is a flat spacer plate 14 preferably of fiber, cardboard, semi-rigid plastic or the like. Preferably, each plate is rectangular in shape and somewhat smaller than the pocket in which it is fitted.

Travellers 15, which for the present purpose may be assumed to be of a conventional type, have shank portions inserted one through each pocket and slide buttons 16 extended upwardly from the curtain. If desired, the shank portions of the travellers may be secured to the plates through apertures in the face of the pockets. This construction assists in maintaining the plates in the desired spaced apart relationship. The slide buttons are mounted in a slot in the track 17 which is also of conventional configuration. This track is mounted in the upper edge of the door jamb by screws or the like.

At the bottom of the curtain similar pockets 18 are formed by the seam or seal 19 and the preformed pleat lines 11. Heavy plates 20- which are preferably made of metal are positioned in each of these lower pockets. Each plate is spaced equidistant from the edge of the curtain with its corresponding upper plate. Accordingly, when the door is hung, the plates being spaced slightly from one another laterally and separated by the preformed pleat lines effectively maintain the pleats as formed. The weight of the lower plates causes the door to hang evenly, and removes any folds or wrinkles that may be formed by opening or closing the door. If desired, the plates 20 may be installed in pockets which are spaced upwardly from the lower edge of the door so that the lower edge may be trimmed to fit door openings which are less than standard height.

At the right edge of the curtain as shown in Figure 2,

a vertical pocket 21 is formed extending from the top to the bottom of the curtain. In this pocket is positioned a pair of stiffening slats 22 (shown only in Figure 6). The upper of these slats extends preferably from the top of the curtain to a point just above the center of the curtain, and the lower slat extends preferably from a point just below the lower end of the upper slat to a point adjacent to the lower edge of the curtain. The curtain is permanently secured to the door jamb 23 on the right by attachment means such as screws 24 inserted through the slabs and into the jamb. This is illustrated in Figure 6.

The left side edge of the curtain as shown in Figure 2 has a similar pocket 25 into which similar slats 26 and 27 are inserted. If desired these slats may be secured to the curtain as by grommets 28. The lower edge of the upper slat is spaced from the upper edge of the lower slat a distance which is somewhat less than the height of the handle 30. As shown particularly in Figure 3, the handle member 3%) has its upper portion secured by an attachment member 31 to the upper slat 26 and its lower portion secured by the attachment member 32 to the lower slat 2.7. This arrangement forms what is in effect a continuous rigid stiffening slat along the entire edge of the curtain when the door is in assembled conditron.

While the particular handle member 30 shown constitutes only a preferred form of the invention, the details of its construction are illustrated in Figure 5. As there shown, the edge of the curtain is inserted into the slot 33 in the handle before the stiffening slat is secured in the manner previously described. Extensions 3434 are formed one on each side of the handle for grasping with the hand to open and close. An aperture 35 is formed in the front nose 36 of the handle, and this aperture is adapted to engage the expansible attachment member 37 secured to the left-hand door jamb 38.

The erection of the door is extremely simple and has already been substantially described. After the track 17 has been mounted in the upper edge of the door jamb, the handle 3f? is attached in the manner indicated, the travellers are positioned in the track, and the right side of the curtain is secured to the right-hand door jamb 23. Thereafter, the expansible attachment member 37 is mounted in its proper position on the left-hand door jamb and the door is ready for operation. If desired, the position of the door can be reversed and it can be opened from the right instead of the left.

From the ensuing description it will be apparent that the entire assembly can be quickly and easily disposed in a container for shipping and display. When removed from the track, the curtain itself can be quickly folded along the pleat lines and since the metal plates are in each case smaller than the pockets delineated by these lines, they assist in the folding. Since the stiffening slats on each side are in each case shorter than one-half the extended length of the curtain, they can readily be packaged with the curtain. The track being also less than one-half the length of the curtain constitutes no packaging problem. Figure l diagrammatically illustrates the insertion of the disassembled parts compacted as a unit 44 into an appropriate carton 41.

It will be appreciated that the invention is not limited to a single door but that they may be employed in pairs for larger openings. In such an installation, the two doors are secured respectively to the jambs at opposite sides of the door opening and they are pulled toward one another to meet in the center in order to close the opening.

While in the embodiment shown the stiffening slats are of a length which is less than one-half the height of the door and this is the optimum length for packaging purposes, it is entirely feasible to utilize slats of different lengths provided, of course, that the adjoining ends are rigidified or bridged in the manner previously de scribed. In this event the minimum length of the package will be the length of the longer one of the two slats.

Additionally, it will be appreciated that the same bridging effect can be obtained between the two adjoining ends of the stiffening slats at the handle side of the door by providing a telescoping slide bar such as the one designated 42 in Figure 7. In this instance, the slide bar is telescopingly received in the end of one edge stiffener slat 43 and it may be slid into an extended position to be received in the hollow end of a second slat 44. For simplification of construction, the two slats may be made of tubular metal which is generally rectangular in cross section. To facilitate the sliding of the bar to bridge the gap between the two stiifeners a small finger tab 45 may be employed, this tab extending at right angles from the slide bar out through a slit 46 in the door material. The small tab preferably is located so that it is covered when the handle 30 is installed. The hole shown at 47 below the slide bar is designed to receive the lower one 33 of the two handle attachment members. Hence, with the handle in place the slide bar is prevented from becoming disengaged from the slat 44.

Another way of accomplishing the same end is to provide two slat members which have adjoining ends arranged to telescope one within the other. In this instance, the lower one of the two slats may be installed in place in the hem at the side of the door for packaging purposes and then the upper slat, which is sufficiently long to be socketed into the upper end of the lower slat, may he slipped into place just prior to the hanging of the door. In any event, the door may be folded into a compact carry-home bundle which is of such a size that it may be handled with ease.

An example of telescoping slat members is disclosed in Figures 8 to 12 of the drawings, the curtain or door being designated generally by the numeral 48 in this instance. The left side of the curtain as it appears in Figure 8 has a pocket in it similar to vertical pocket 21, and it is so designated here. Pocket 21 has a pair of stiffening slats in its which are similar to those designated 22 in Figure 3. This side of the door is adapted to be attached to the door jamb. For this purpose, holes such as the ones indicated at 49 are provided to receive fastening screws. The vertical pocket at the opposite side of the door formed by a line of stitching like pocket 21, is identified in this instance by the numeral 50. This pocket extends from the top to the bottom of the leading or free edge of the door and it carries telescoping upper and lower slat members which are designated 51 and 52 respectively. The two slats are made of thin metal and shown in Figure 9, it comprises two rounded side edges 53--53 which are joined by a face web 54. (In cross section the members resemble a telescoping curtain rod.) The lower slat member is of a size to slide into the lower end of the upper member 51 and in this case, a series of holes are provided in the upper part of slat 52. These holes are provided so that the overall length of the two telescoped slat members may be varied to accommodate doors of various heights. In some installations, it may be necessary to cut off the lower part of the door. When this is done a new hemline 19 which defines the pockets 18 for plates 20 may be re-formed along the lower edge of the curtain.

The door may be shipped in a package of the type shown in Figure 1 with the upper slat 51 in place. This slat is inserted into pocket 50 from the upper edge of the curtain. It will be noted that in this instance the slide button or roller 16 adjacent to the leading edge of the door is secured to the upper end of the stiffening member instead of to the fiat spacer plate at this edge of the door. The roller or slide button preferably is made of nylon and it is mounted upon a shank member 55 which is formed of stiff wire. The lower end of the shank is formed into a loop 56 and this loop is secured to the upper end of the slat member by means such as a rivet 57. Preferably, the loop is engaged on the rivet rather loosely so that the button can pivot about the center of the rivet during the opening and closing of the door.

In the package door the lower slat member 52 may be inserted into the carton at a side of the folded door. That is, it is not shipped inside of the pocket 50.

To install the door the upper slat 51 is removed and than the lower slat member is telescoped into its lower end. The overall length of the telescoped members is then adjusted and if it is necessary to remove some of the material along the bottom edge of the door to accommodate a less than standard door height a new hem 19 may be made. Alternatively, the hemmed pocket may be spaced from the bottom of the door, leaving a freely hanging, single thickness skirt of curtain material for cutting in the event the door must be shortened. After the telescoped slat members have been adjusted to the correct overall length, a metal screw 58 may be engaged through the appropriate one of the series of holes in the upper part of slat member 52 and through the lowermost one of a series of holes in the lower end of the upper slat member 51. This secures the two slats together. This assembly then may be slid down into pocket 50 from the upper edge of the carton to a point where the roller or button 16 at the upper end of the assembly is on the same level with the other buttons. At this time, the curtain material may be pierced with a sharp instrument opposite the two holes 59 which are in the lower end of slat 51. These two holes are designed to accommodate bolts 60 which hold the two parts 6161 of the handle for the door in place. The parts of the handle may comprise rectangular blocks made of plastic and which may be hollow if desired. In each instance, the bolt passes through an appropriate hole in one of the handle parts, through the curtain material, through one of the holes 59 in slat member 51 and it is then threaded into a headed sleeve nut 62 which is engaged in an appropriate hole in the opposite handle part. In this way the two parts of the handle are secured to one another to the curtain material and to the slat assembly so that the slat assembly is held in place relative to the curtain to maintain the alignment of the slide button which is secured at its upper end with the other slide buttons of the door.

The upper slat member when it is installed in the pocket 50 comes down to a point just above the dot-dash line 63 shown in Figure 8 about which the door is folded for packaging purposes. When the door is assembled, depending upon its overall height, the lower slat 52 may be telescoped to a greater or lesser extent into the lower end of slat member 51 to span this fold line and thereby rigidify the leading edge of the door over its entire length. The holes in the series at the upper end of slat member 52 are spaced apart in accordance with the spacing of the holes through which the handle bolts pass so that they match up with them when it is necessary to telescope the lower slat member to a greater extent in an installation where the lower edge of the curtain has to be cut.

While the construction described is a simple one, it provides a strong and attractive looking door which can be manufactured at a price substantially less than competitive articles. Additionally, the erection is Well within the capabilities of the average householder.

Having described our invention we claim:

1. A folding door comprising a readily flexible curtain which is of a size to span a door opening, slide buttons aligned at the top of the curtain for slidably engaging an overhead track, pleat defining means at the top and bottom only of the curtain to cause the curtain to form into a plurality of vertical pleats of substantially the same size upon the folding of the curtain accordion-wise, means at one of the vertical side edges of the curtain for securing said edge to a vertical jamb member of a door, a narrow pocket extending vertically substantially the full height of the opposite side edge of the door, a pair of upper and lower elongated, narrow curtain stifiening members disposed in said pocket in vertical alignment with respect to one another, said curtain stiffening members being constructed to telescope with respect to one another at their adjacent ends, means securing the telescoped members together, a slide button at the top of the upper one of the two curtain stiffening members to engage an overhead track, handle means embracing the opposite sides of said vertical pocket adjacent to the telescoped portions of the stiffening member, fastening means securing said handle means to at least one of the vertical stifiening members, said fastening means passing through the material of the curtain and into engagement with said vertical stiffening member, whereby the fastening means secures the vertical stiffening members in place inside of the pocket so that the slide button at the top of the upper one of the vertical stifiening members is maintained in alignment with the slide buttons at the top of the curtain.

2. A folding door comprising a readily flexible curtain which is of a size to span a door opening, a plurality of slide buttons at the top of the curtain which are aligned with one another for slidably engaging an overhead track, pleat defining means at the top of the curtain to cause the curtain to form into a plurality of vertical pleats of substantially the same size upon the folding of the curtain accordion-wise, means at one of the vertical side edges of the curtain for securing said edge to a vertical jamb member of a door, a narrow pocket extending vertically substantially the full height of the opposite side edge of the door, a pair of upper and lower elongated, narrow curtain stiffening members disposed in said pocket in vertical alignment and with their adjacent ends telescopingly engaged, a slide button at the top of the upper one of the two curtain stifiening members to engage an overhead track, and means fastening said stiffening members in said pocket to maintain the slide button at the top of the upper one thereof in alignment with the other, aligned slide buttons which are at the top of the curtain.

Carr Dec. 6, 1955 Johnson et al. May 22, 1956 

